Marlon Blackwell (born November 7, 1956) is an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and university professor in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. He is a Fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. He is founder and principal at Marlon Blackwell Architects, a design firm established in 1992 in Fayetteville. Blackwell is the

E. Fay Jones Euine Fay Jones (January 31, 1921 – August 30, 2004) was an American architect and designer. An apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright during his professional career, Jones is the only one of Wright's disciples to have received the AIA Gold Medal (19 ...

Chair in Architecture and a Distinguished Professor in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

in Fayetteville.Marlon Blackwell
University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture

Early life and career

Marlon Blackwell was born November 7, 1956, in

Fürstenfeldbruck Fürstenfeldbruck () is a town in Bavaria, Germany, located 32 kilometres west of Munich. It is the capital of the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. it has a population of 35,494. Since the 1930s, Fürstenfeldbruck has had an air force base. Th ...

, Germany. He grew up near Air Force bases in the Philippines, Alabama, Florida, Colorado, and Montana. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

and a Master of Architecture II from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

(in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Italy). During college, he spent five summers in the rural South as a Bible salesman for the Thomas Nelson Publishing Company. After completing his undergraduate degree, he practiced in firms in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Boston, Massachusetts. Following his graduate degree, he was a visiting professor at Syracuse University. He has taught at the

in Fayetteville since 1992. He co-founded the University of Arkansas Mexico Summer Urban Studio at the Casa Luis Barragán in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

and taught in the program for many years beginning in 1996. He served as head of the architecture department from 2009 to 2015. In 1992, he founded Marlon Blackwell Architects (originally Marlon Blackwell Architect). He authored the book ''An Architecture of the Ozarks: The Works of Marlon Blackwell'' (Princeton Architectural Press, 2006). This monograph of his design work features nine built residential and commercial projects and three residential prototypes. The book includes essays by

Juhani Pallasmaa Juhani Uolevi Pallasmaa (born 14 September 1936 in Hämeenlinna, Finland) is a Finnish architect and former professor of architecture and dean at the Helsinki University of Technology. Among the many academic and civic positions he has held are ...

, Dan Hoffman and David Buege. In 1994, he married Meryati Johari. They live in Fayetteville with their two children. Meryati Johari Blackwell is an architect, principal and co-owner at Marlon Blackwell Architects.

Notable career achievements

Honors and awards

Blackwell is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 2020

AIA Gold Medal The AIA Gold Medal is awarded by the American Institute of Architects conferred "by the national AIA Board of Directors in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture." It is the Ins ...

, the 2020

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

Professor of the Year, and the 2016

National Design Award The American National Design Awards, founded in 2000, are funded and awarded by Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New Y ...

for Architecture Design from

Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the wing of the Smithsonian Ins ...

. In 2014, he was named a

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

Ford Fellow (in Architecture and Design). In 2012, he received the Architecture Prize from the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

. Blackwell was inducted into the National Academy of Design in 2018. He was the William A. Bernoudy Architect in Residence at the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

in 2018–2019. He was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in 2009. In 1998, the Architectural League of New York selected him as an "Emerging Voice" in architecture. Fourteen projects by Blackwell's firm have been recognized with national awards by The American Institute of Architects (AIA), including the AIA Honor Awards for Shelby Farms Park (with James Corner Field Operations) (2019), Vol Walker Hall/Steven L. Anderson Design Center at the University of Arkansas (2018), the Crystal Bridges Museum Store at

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a museum of American art in Bentonville, Arkansas. The museum, founded by Alice Walton and designed by Moshe Safdie, officially opened on 11 November 2011. It offers free public admission. Overview ...

(2015), the Little Rock Creative Corridor (2014), St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church (2013), and the Ruth Lilly Visitors Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (2012). He has won AIA Housing Awards for Graphic House (2017) and L-Stack House (2008). The St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Springdale, Arkansas, received the 2011

World Architecture Festival The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is an annual festival and awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious events dedicated to the architecture and development industry. The first four events were held in Barcelona, from 2008 to 2011, at which p ...

, Best Civic and Community Building. It also won the 2012 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Small Project Award. Other awards and distinctions include several American Architecture Awards from the Chicago Athenaeum for Harvey Pediatric Clinic (2017), University of Arkansas School of Architecture Addition and Renovation (2014), Fayetteville Montessori Elementary (2014), Ruth Lilly Visitors Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (2012), and St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (2011). In addition, the Harvey Pediatric Clinic in Rogers, Arkansas, received the 2017 Healthcare Design Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health. The Gentry Public Library in Gentry, Arkansas, received the 2009 National AIA / ALA Library Design Award. The University of Arkansas School of Architecture Addition and Renovation in Fayetteville, Arkansas, also received a 2016 American Architecture Prize (Educational Buildings, Platinum), a 2016 National AIA / CAE Educational Facility Design Award of Excellence, and the 2012 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Technology in Architectural Practice, Building Information Modeling Award for Exemplary Use of BIM in a Small Firm. The Fayetteville Montessori Schools (Elementary and Primary) in Fayetteville, Arkansas, received a 2016 American Architecture Prize ducational Buildings, Gold Fayetteville High School, Phase 1+2 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, received the 2016 National AIA / CAE Educational Facility Design Award of Merit. The Little Rock Creative Corridor (with the University of Arkansas Community Design Center) in Little Rock, Arkansas, received the 2014 American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award for Analysis and Planning. The Moore Honeyhouse in Cashiers, North Carolina, received the 2003 AR+D Award from ''The Architectural Review''. His work was exhibited in "Building:Community" at the 2016 Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy, alongside the work of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center. The Keenan TowerHouse, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was featured on the cover of the February 2001 issue of ''Architectural Record''. The St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church, in Springdale, Arkansas, was featured on the cover of the November 2011 issue of ''Architectural Record.'' His firm was named the 2011 Firm of the Year by ''Residential Architect'' magazine. Blackwell was selected as an ID Forty: Undersung Heroes by ''The International Design Magazine'' in 2006.

Academia

Blackwell has taught at the University of Arkansas since 1992, and he has also held visiting teaching positions at several universities. During his tenure at the University of Arkansas, he was named by DesignIntelligence magazine as one of the "30 Most Admired Educators" for 2015. He has co-taught design studios with Peter Eisenman (1997 and 1998), Christopher Risher (2000), and Julie Snow (2003). Other visiting academic appointments have included the McDermott Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Austin (2016), the George Baird Professor at Cornell University (2012), the Thomas Jefferson Professor at the University of Virginia (2011), the Elliel Saarinen Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan (2009), the Ivan Smith Distinguished Professor at the University of Florida (2009), the Paul Rudolph Visiting Professor at Auburn University (2008), the Cameron Visiting Professor at Middlebury College (2007), the Ruth and Norman Moore Visiting Professor at Washington University in St. Louis (2003), and a visiting graduate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (2001 and 2002).

Major works

Residential

* Graphic House, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2016) * Srygley Pool House, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2014) * L-Stack House, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2006) * Porchdog House Prototype, Biloxi, Mississippi (2009) * Arkansas House, Johnson, Arkansas (2004) * Keenan TowerHouse, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2000) * Moore HoneyHouse, Cashiers, North Carolina (1998)

Commercial

* Crystal Bridges Museum Store, Bentonville, Arkansas (2011) * Harvey Pediatric Clinic, Rogers, Arkansas (2016) * The Fulbright Building renovation, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2007) * Blessings Golf Course Clubhouse, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2005) * Srygley Office Building, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2004)

Institutional

* Thaden School, Bentonville, Arkansas (partially complete, 2019) *

Fayetteville High School (Arkansas) Fayetteville High School is a public high school located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The school is administered by the Fayetteville Public Schools headed by Dr. John L Colbert. The district, and by extension, Fayetteville High's attendance bounda ...

(2014) * Ruth Lilly Visitors Pavilion,

Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It i ...

(2010) * St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church, Springdale, Arkansas (2010) * Gentry Public Library,

Gentry, Arkansas Gentry is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,158 at the 2010 census. The city was founded in the Ozark Mountains in 1894 along what would become the Kansas City Southern Railroad. The city's prior prosperity in ...

(2008) * Northwest Arkansas Free Health Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2013) * All Saints Episcopal Church, Bentonville, Arkansas (in design development) * Montessori Elementary and Primary Schools, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2012, 2014) * Vol Walker Hall renovation / Steven L. Anderson Design Center addition,

, Fayetteville, Arkansas (2013) * The Lamplighter School Innovation Lab and Barn, Dallas, Texas (2017)

Urban

* Creative Corridor (with University of Arkansas Community Design Center), Little Rock, Arkansas (2012) * Buildings at

Shelby Farms Shelby Farms is a public park located in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, just east of the city of Memphis. It is one of the largest urban parks in the US and the world, at a size of and covers more than five times the area of Central P ...

Park (with James Corner Field Operations, landscape architect), Memphis, Tennessee (2016)

Images of works

References

External links

Marlon Blackwell Architects website